The World of One Piece Ships
by ElementalL'Cie
Summary: Where I write stories of all kinds of One Piece pairings, whether mine or someone's request, unless I REALLY don't like it. If there's an idea for a pairing you have but haven't found on Fanfiction, give my a note somehow! Rated T for those of you who want more than a kiss ;) Remember, I need the pairing AND a scenario to put them in, otherwise I'll be clueless.
1. Storm on the Sunny

**_This is a ZoroXLuffy pairing, requested by a close friend of mine. Prompt: There's a really bad storm, Zoro and Luffy are the only ones on the ship. Luffy goes out in the storm and a worried Zoro chases him, so they both get wet and cold and there's cuddling and hot drinks, please put in a kiss!_**

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><p>It was the worst storm the Thousand Sunny had ever seen.<p>

Now, that shouldn't be all that uncommon in the New World, what with islands where it rained fucking LIGHTNING or where the sea literally SPLIT APART, but this was pretty bad. Not dangerous enough to hurt the ship bad, which made Franky happy, but bad enough no one would even dream of being outside.

Hence why everyone on the ship was currently holed inside the mens' room to wait out the rain that came down like cannon balls, accompanied by tornado degree winds and random bouts of lightning that may or may not strike the ship, hopefully not. Sometimes it even hailed, which would definitely piss off Franky when he got back.

Where was Franky? Well, he and most of the Straw Hats were already on the island. They had left while the storm was still rather mild, looking for some places to stock up on supplies and then be on their way. Unfortunately, the storm reached full blast sooner than even Nami had anticipated, leaving them trapped within whatever building they were closest to, with whoever had been kind enough to save them. The only two still on the ship were Zoro, who as always was there to guard the Sunny – though really he just took his daily naps – and Luffy. The young Captain had decided to stay behind at his crew's request due to the pouring rain. They were worried his habit of getting in trouble would result in him somehow drowning in a puddle, so they convinced him to stay on the ship.

So, now, he and his first mate Zoro were sitting on the floor of the small room, one of them leaning back casually against the wall napping and the other splayed out on the ground groaning about how bored he was, therefore keeping up the other from any good sleep.

"I'm huuuuuungry…" Luffy moaned, his stomach gurgling loudly right after to prove his point. "When's Sanji coming baaaaaack?"

"Luffy, they can't come back until the storm dies out." Zoro sighed heavily as he replied to the obnoxious rubber man. "The shitty cook will make you food once they can actually step outside without drowning."

"You can't drown on land, Baka Zoro."

The swordsman scowled a bit, opening his one good eye to glare lightly at the black-haired young man he called Captain.

"I said that because it's raining really, really hard right now."

"Oh…" Another loud rumble, Luffy sitting up this time with his arms over his stomach. "So huuuuungry."

"Luffy, just go to sleep or something." Zoro grumbled, closing his eye again and trying to ignore the other. He wanted a good nap before the annoying blonde cook or the demon navigator came back.

Luffy stared at Zoro for a moment, debating whether or not he should just sleep like the man said. It would pass the time, right? But he was so bored! Why couldn't he have gone out with the others? Then Zoro could take his stupid naps himself and at least he'd be with Sanji or something for food and he could explore a new place, even if it was just someone's house.

Deciding Zoro needed to share in his misery instead of getting his nap, Luffy stretched his arms out and wrapped them around the unaware swordsman.

"Wha-?" Zoro opened his eye in time for the rubber Captain to switch seats, his new seat being the green-haired man's lap. "Luffy, what the Hell?"

"Aren't you bored, Zoro?" Luffy complained. "Come on, let's go do something."

"We can't step outside right now, Luffy; we'll get pummeled by the rain or hail."

"That's fine, I'm rubber, Shishishi." His Captain grinned, as usual unafraid of any possible consequences.

"I'm not, you idiot!" Zoro growled, pulling the other man's cheeks. Not that it did anything but stretch his face a bit. "Go explore on your own then, Baka!"

Luffy pouted, upset Zoro wouldn't go with him. He wasn't stupid, he knew so much rain coming down so fast could potentially cause him, a Devil Fruit user, some harm because of how fast water could drench him and submerge him, so he wanted someone there in case he lost his energy and couldn't move. But if his first mate was going to be stubborn, then fine, he'd go see for himself how bad the storm was. Rain had never bothered him before, so he'd be fine, right? Zoro could take his nap and he'd have a bit of fun on deck.

So, he hopped off Zoro's lap and headed for the door, still pouting a bit as he went. Spotting this, Zoro grumbled to himself and scratched the back of his head. Maybe he'd been a bit too harsh on his Captain.

"Wait, Luffy – damn…" The rubber man was already outside when the swordsman turned to call him back. "Ah, he'll be fine."

Despite saying that, he couldn't help this nagging feeling in his gut that he shouldn't have let Luffy go out alone.

~~XOXOXOXOXOX~~

Screw a nap, how could he sleep right now?

Luffy had been gone for five minutes now, at least, which shouldn't have been that big a deal if it wasn't for the huge storm still raging over the island and apparently getting worse. The ship was starting to rock a little more than before, and the sound of rain was louder, if that was possible.

"…Fuck it." Zoro scowled and got to his feet, heading for the door. Even if it was just five minutes, a guy like Luffy in this storm spelled all kinds of trouble, and the worry was building up in his chest. Luffy had gone overboard many a time before, half of those times even willingly, so he hoped that wasn't what was causing the rubber man to be so absent.

The minute he opened the door, the sound of rain and hail nearly deafened him. The hail wasn't big enough to cause damage to the ship, thanks to Franky's handiwork, but it was going fast enough to knock someone out. Someone other than a man made of rubber, anyway, so that shouldn't have been a danger to Luffy, not when anything like a bullet just bounced right off of him. The hail wasn't sharp, either, so again no damage to the man of rubber.

Still reluctant to go outside in such a storm, Zoro hung back and scanned the Sunny for any sign of the trademark straw hat and red shirt. When he saw nothing but sheet upon sheet of dark rain and the pattern of the wind as it spewed the drops everywhere, the swordsman clenched his hands into fists, bracing himself as he stepped outside. He was drenched in seconds, absolutely soaked, with the hail beating against his body as he walked.

"Luffy!" He shouted, seriously hoping the wild young man would answer. "Luffy! Don't tell me you went on the island!" Nothing could be heard over the roar of the wind and rain. "LUFFY!"

Now he was really starting to panic. Where the Hell did that trouble maker go? He better not be messing around or so help him Zoro would cut him to pieces.

"You better be alright, dammit." The swordsman snarled to himself, trudging across the ship in search of his Captain. He tried yelling a few more times, but understood that he wasn't going to be heard in this weather. He could barely hear himself. Had Luffy maybe been calling for him and he couldn't hear it? Was he already too late to help? No, stop it Zoro, a guy like Luffy wouldn't be taken out by some storm, no matter how bad. Great, now he was arguing with himself about his Captain's safety. Just great.

After a minute of fighting with the wind and scouring the deck, Zoro moved to the rooms, checking them one by one, even the girls' for good measure. He'd get a break from the storm in a few as he checked all the hidden spots of the bigger rooms before charging back outside with a continually worsening scowl. His chest felt tight as the thought that maybe Luffy was no longer on the ship kept going through his mind, only for him to shove it roughly away knowing his Captain wasn't so weak as to be taken out by a storm.

He got to the galley finally, stepping inside since it had the added room of the kitchen, with a small wall between that Luffy might be hiding behind.

"Oi, Luffy!" He called out, as he had in the other rooms where the storm wasn't drowning out his voice. "You here!?"

He waited a few seconds. No reply. Scowling again with an angry curse, Zoro turned back to the door to look elsewhere.

"Hey, Zoro!"

The swordsman spun around in surprise. Luffy was leaning over the counter from the kitchen, no doubt where he'd been for a while, and as the swordsman looked him over he saw the rubber man was nearly as drenched as Zoro and looking a little weak from that fact.

"Have you been here this whole time!?" Zoro shouted, hiding his relief at seeing that his Captain was okay behind anger that he hadn't even thought to look where the food was first. Luffy had said he was hungry, didn't he; of course he'd head for the kitchen! Why didn't he think of that first! Baka Zoro, he'd been too quick to panic just because of a storm, how was he supposed to protect everyone if he lost his calm so easily?

"Well, I was outside for a few minutes, but it was hard to keep my hat on and I was really cold, so I came in here for a snack."

"Why would you come for a snack when you're cold?" Zoro deadpanned. Seriously, Luffy's logic still baffled him, nothing he said ever made sense unless it involved saving his friends, and sometimes even then he said ridiculous ideas that made him want to hit his head against a wall.

"Food helps with anything, duh!" The straw hat wearer laughed. "But I forgot Sanji has it locked all the time now."

"Oh for the love of…" Zoro rubbed his face wearily. "Dammit, Luffy, you didn't come back so I was worried sick you'd gone and drowned or something."

"Shishishi, like that would happen!" The rubber man teased. "I'm not feeling too great, though, and I'm still really cold…"

Once it was mentioned, Zoro realized his own problem. His clothing was completely drenched and clinging tightly to him with freezing water. Now that he'd noticed his current condition a violent shiver went through his body as it fought to stay warm. Perfect, on top of getting too worked up about finding Luffy he hadn't kept an eye on his own health. A master swordsman didn't have time to be sick! That was way too much lost training time! Plus, their doctor came to restock, not use up more supplies due to Zoro's own stupidity.

"Shit, Chopper will kill me for getting sick if the cold doesn't." Zoro grumbled, moving away from the door and to the back, where a few blankets were stored for guests, should they have any.

"We won't get sick." Luffy argued, moving sluggishly around to the dining area where Zoro was with the blanket.

"You will if you don't get warm, Baka." The swordsman countered, taking off the green yukata and setting it over a chair, leaving him in just the black pants and boots. Those were still soaked too, but at least he wasn't completely covered in drenched clothing. He then grabbed the blanket again and turned to Luffy, who had taken off his red shirt and copied Zoro's actions.

"Man, now I kind of wish I didn't go out." Luffy pouted, not liking the feeling of the wet clothing sticking to him. He reached to take off his pants as well, when he heard Zoro off to the side sound like he was choking or something, bringing his attention to the swordsman. "What?"

"N-Nothing, just leave those on." The green-haired man looked a little red in the face, which confused Luffy.

"Are you already getting sick, Zoro?" The rubber man questioned, stepping over to the taller man and reaching a hand up to the other's forehead.

"I'm fine." Zoro said a little too quickly, pushing Luffy's hand away. "I need some sake or something, that'll warm me up."

"Bleh, how about hot cocoa!?" The energetic Captain argued happily.

"Never made it."

"Can't be that hard, it's just hot chocolate, right?"

"Huh, good point." The swordsman shrugged. He'd just put some sake in the cocoa, then. He looked back down at the blanket in his hand, before looking up at Luffy. "Here, put this over your shoulder to warm up."

He tossed the item to his Captain, which hit him in the face. Luffy floundered for a bit at the sudden attack, before removing the item and pouting in Zoro's direction. Zoro had to look away…that face was just…too much.

"You were out longer than me, why don't you use it?" Luffy pointed out.

"I'll be fine for a bit, I'm gonna try and make that hot cocoa."

"Ooh, let me help!" Wrapping the blanket over him, Luffy shuffled behind his first mate as they headed into the kitchen.

And so the duo attempted – and failed – multiple attempts at hot cocoa.

~~XOXOXOXOXOX~~

"Got it!" Luffy cheered, carefully grabbing his cup of the heated chocolate beverage.

"Damn, how can something like this be so hard to make?" Zoro huffed, deciding to let Luffy have the drink and taking his bottle of sake. Their other attempts, clumps of brown sludge and powder, splattered various parts of the kitchen. They were sure to get a stern talking to later when Sanji returned and found his area such a disaster, but what were they supposed to do?

"You don't want any?" Luffy questioned after taking a sip and determining it was good, very good.

"I'm fine with this." Zoro smirked, holding up his sake bottle before taking another swig.

Frowning, the rubber man looked down at the mug of cocoa. He felt nice and warm now, the blanket still around his shoulders and the hot beverage heating him up inside. But Zoro was standing around in nothing but his pants and shoes with a bottle of sake that wouldn't really warm him up like it should. That wasn't right, his first mate should be getting properly warm, too.

Although, it was nice watching Zoro without his yukata on.

Luffy turned away from Zoro and back to his cup, taking another sip to distract himself.

"Well, I'm gonna get that nap in before the shitty cook gets back and yells at us." Zoro stretched himself out, Luffy darting a glance over unnoticed, before moving past the smaller man to the dining area. There was a bench off to the side he could sleep on just fine.

"Yeah, okay." Luffy responded distractedly.

Noticing this, Zoro turned back to his Captain. Why was he staring at the mug so intently? Did he not like it? That was rare; Luffy ate and drank most anything, no complaints to be heard.

"You okay?" Zoro asked, worried something might be wrong? Luffy had all but recovered from his temporary water weakness a while ago, so it couldn't be that, right?

"Eh?" Luffy looked up, startled to see his swordsman was standing next to him again. "Yeah, why?"

Zoro frowned, skeptical, but figured if there was something bothering him, Luffy would say it. That's just who he was. He said whatever was on his mind, not caring if it pissed anyone off or just didn't make any sense whatsoever, if he wanted to say it, he said it. Kind of made it hard to deal with him sometimes.

"Come on, Zoro, you should try it!" Luffy held the mug out to him with a smile, trying to change the topic.

"Yeah?" Curious, the swordsman went ahead and took the mug, careful not to swig it as he had with the sake so as not to burn his tongue. "Hm, pretty good, considering how bad we were at it."

"Shishishi, right?" The Captain happily took the drink back, glad Zoro had tried at least a little bit. "Bet you feel warmer now!"

"Huh, I do, you're right." Zoro looked somewhat impressed, though really he was just messing with the younger man. "Wonder why…"

"Uh, Zoro, it's called HOT cocoa…"

The green-haired man laughed. Here was Luffy proving once more how dense he could be sometimes. Didn't know when someone was just messing with him. Probably why Usopp got away with so many lies, Luffy still thought the sniper and Sogeking were two totally different people that just happened to know each other as old friends.

"I know, just playing." He smirked, before it faltered at Luffy's wide-eyed stare. "What?"

"Haven't heard you laugh in a long time." The rubber man grinned. "It's nice to hear you laugh again, Shishishi!"

It took a moment for that to process, but when it did, Zoro spluttered a bit and turned away, scratching at his head. Hearing Luffy laugh did not help him feel better. His face suddenly felt very warm, but he blamed it on the cocoa.

"Anyway, you should take this, too." Luffy held the blanket out for Zoro with one hand, the cocoa in the other. "I'm warm now, but you're still shirtless."

"Nah, I'm fine, all that cooking warmed me up, and you keep the blanket." Zoro pushed the item back to his Captain.

Luffy pouted and thought for a moment, before smiling wide.

"How about we share it!"

"Huh?"

In the next moment, Luffy had put down the cocoa, pretty much forgetting about it in the next second, as he cuddled closer to his swordsman and put the blanket around the both of them. The younger had his usual grin in place, feeling accomplished.

"L-Luffy, what the Hell?" Zoro stuttered, surprised by his Captain's sudden action, body stiffening at the touch and yet feeling comfortable with this new position. Oh why the Hell was his heart beating so fast?

"I want Zoro to be warm, too!" Luffy pretty much demanded, wrapping his arms several times around Zoro as his way of saying he wasn't taking no for an answer, only serving to make the taller man's chest feel tighter, and not because of the 'hug'.

Though used to such antics normally, this time it made Zoro feel a little weird, as already stated, like an unknown weird that he didn't know how to deal with right now. Luffy was warm, really warm, and usually when the other hugged him they weren't both shirtless, so that didn't help either.

"Oi, I was gonna take a nap…" Zoro attempted to get out of the other's grip.

"I'll take one with you." Luffy turned his head up and grinned at the other. Was his face a little redder than before? Both of them seemed to be sporting a light dusting of pink across their cheeks, Zoro more so since the surprise was on him.

Knowing the stubbornness of Luffy, Zoro resigned himself to being literally stuck to his Captain for now and finished his trek to the bench. The rubber man let go so he could sit, but instead of sitting next to Zoro like he'd been expected to, he claimed the man's lap as his seat.

"It leaves more room in the blanket." He explained innocently at Zoro's questioning glance.

Sighing, Zoro didn't argue and let him stay there. It felt kind of nice, anyway, so he wasn't going to complain.

~~XOXOXOXOXOX~~

At some point, while Zoro had made himself comfortable leaned back across the bench with Luffy still on his lap, said Captain had stretched over and grabbed his cocoa to finish it. It was colder now, which meant Luffy could drink it faster but still get that warm feeling flowing through him.

Of course, just his luck, right as he finished, Zoro decided he wanted some and asked for it. With a sheepish grin, Luffy showed him the empty cup as he licked his lips to get the last of it on his mouth, expecting the swordsman to get annoyed. Surprisingly, a strange glint lit up in the other man's eye, and a curious Luffy could only respond one way.

"What's that face?" He tilted his head, his straw hat falling to the side a bit on his still slightly damp hair.

"Well, you went and drank all the good cocoa." Zoro gave a dramatic sigh, as if highly upset by this development.

"We can make more!" Luffy offered with an apologetic look. "We know how to now, right? Here, I'll try it!"

"Who, easy there." The swordsman grabbed his Captain's arm to prevent him from getting up. "Stay in the blanket, remember? You gotta keep warm."

"I can't make cocoa from over here." Luffy pouted.

"You won't get the taste the same anyway; I liked the one we made."

A big huff came from the smaller man, slumping a bit in defeat. Now he'd gone and made Zoro upset when they were having a peaceful moment, it was the first time he actually enjoyed just sitting quietly. It was nice and warm and the cocoa had made him sleepy.

"Hm, I think I know a way." Zoro shifted a bit, sitting up and putting an arm over Luffy's shoulders. The surprised Captain stiffened a bit as he looked at Zoro's face, not quite sure what that smirk meant only that it made his face feel hot.

"Z-Zoro?" Luffy questioned, not sure what was happening with his heart right now.

The swordsman grunted in question, not realizing that his close proximity was making Luffy feel light-headed and much warmer than before, especially when the rubber man felt Zoro's chest press up against him.

Luffy made to ask why Zoro was getting so close, and why he was looking at him so...hungrily? when the green-haired man suddenly leaned down and kissed him, effectively shutting him up. The Captain could only sit there for a minute at the strange sensation Zoro's action was giving him, before he realized he quite liked it and closed his eyes to enjoy the moment.

They pulled apart and Luffy saw his first mate lick his lips, a shiver running up his spine at the sight.

"Yup, I like the way that one tasted." Zoro smirked at Luffy's wide-eyed, red-faced expression.

The rubber man just stared for another moment, before his usual grin appeared.

"It was pretty good, huh? Shishishi!"

At that Zoro laughed, he should have known Luffy would recover quickly. Luffy joined in and the couple laughed together for a minute before calming down again, Zoro once more returning to his nap, this time with Luffy curled up on top of him with the blanket still firmly wrapped around them both. It was in that moment of quiet they realized something.

It was TOO quiet.

"Looks like the storm is stopping." Zoro noted casually.

"No, it needs to keep going." Luffy whined. "Everyone will come back…"

"Don't you want them to?"

"Not yet…"

Chuckling, Zoro admitted to himself that he also wanted the storm to last just another hour or two longer. He reached over and ruffled the younger man's hair comfortingly, causing Luffy to cuddle closer with a happy grin. They'd enjoy the moment while it lasted.

Storms were pretty great, after all.

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><p><em><strong>So yeah, this is one of two of my first guyXguy stories, I really hope I did it justice. Enjoy!<strong>_


	2. The Bright Captain and Miserable Doctor

_**This is LawXLuffy, requested by another friend of mine. Prompt: Law observes Luffy from afar, admiring the way he's so sure of himself and that bright smile, slowly getting more attached to it. And then Luffy notices him and confronts him about it, the other Straw Hats noticing and playing matchmaker and Law eventually gives in.**_

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><p>He just couldn't stand them.<p>

How could they be considered among the strongest of the rookie pirate crews? They were childish, immature, chaotic, and the lot of them just couldn't mix together right.

Yet somehow, for just a moment, he'd seen them work in tandem like a well-oiled machine, and so he'd decided to ally with them to raise his chances of succeeding in his mission.

But looking at them now, when they weren't in battle, when they weren't looking out for one another, he seriously began to doubt his choice. What was even stranger was it was the same man that caused both the unity and battle and the chaos on the ship.

Their damn Captain, Straw Hat Luffy.

As far back as Sabaody, Trafalgar Law could tell Monkey D. Luffy was unpredictable and wild, that much was obvious even before he'd punched the Celestial Dragon in the auction house. Law could tell right then and there the younger Captain was going to be fun as a rival in the race for One Piece. He would prove a challenge, and make Law feel all the more accomplished when he won. Not if, when, because the surgeon refused to be beaten by someone as childish and utterly naïve as Straw Hat.

Though it was amusing when the rubber man looked his way and gawked at his first mate Bepo, the confidence-lacking polar bear confused as to why the other Captain was so fascinated with him. Law could only chuckle at the silliness of Luffy and how easily distracted he was.

Then he got to see the boy's powers first hand in the battle with the Marines, and while it seemed useless at first, it became apparent rubber was perfect for making every type of gun the Marines had absolutely useless and forcing them to approach with swords, which just let Luffy pummel them from afar with his fists. Law hardly paid any attention to the magnet man Eustass, finding the man of rubber far more amusing to watch. Plus, Luffy wasn't trying to tell him what to do like Eustass was, so that already put him higher up in Law's mind.

Then Marineford happened, and Law watched in utter bafflement as Straw Hat Luffy barreled right into the middle of it – fell from the sky into it, really – with a huge group of escaped convicts, including dangerous ones like Crocodile, Inazuma, Ivankov, and Jimbei the former Shichibukai. All to save his brother that wasn't even his real brother. Law found himself respecting the younger Captain a little more, so when events began turning sour, he and his crew immediately headed out to the war to rescue him.

He made the excuse that he had no reason to save Luffy except that finding One Piece wouldn't be as entertaining without him as a rival. In truth, he wasn't sure why he risked so much to save him, only that he didn't want this rash, completely insane Captain to die just yet. When the operation had been completed successfully and his crew all left, the surgeon leaned himself up against the bed Straw Hat now laid upon, looking down at his sleeping face with a slight frown. Everything Luffy had done in Marineford had been absolutely insane, with no planning at all, no concern for his own safety; he just raced to his goal. The surgeon wanted to say that's why he still lost Ace, but that just didn't seem right. Luffy lost his brother because of the Marines, because Akainu was vicious and had already killed hundreds of the Whitebeard Pirates' allies in his goal for Ace. Luffy had saved him, but just didn't have the strength to go any further, and Ace had responded to Akainu's jeers, which started the fight between them and caused Luffy to get even further hurt. Those injuries were why he fell unconscious under the stress of grief.

Law gave a sigh as he thought about this. He could tell Luffy would not be himself when he woke up, not after something like that. He knew from experience no one came back from something like that mentally the same. Hell, he probably wouldn't have ever been a pirate if not for what happened to his home town, to his family, wouldn't have his own crew if not for what happened to his benefactor.

He left his sword next to the younger Captain's bed, deciding he'd stayed long enough. If he kept thinking about Luffy like he was, he'd be heading down a dangerous road. They were rivals, nothing more.

It was still hard to just up and leave when Luffy woke in a rampage and fled to the island where he couldn't follow.

That was two years ago, and apparently the interest hadn't faded. When they met again on Punk Hazard, instead of switching him like with his crewmates or considering him nothing but a rival he needed to drive away to continue his plan, Law thought it might be a better idea to use their talents to his advantage. Things would go much quicker – though he doubted they'd stay completely on track – with the powerful crew at his side.

He refused to acknowledge the slight relief he felt at seeing Luffy completely healed after the grievous injuries he'd gotten at Marineford. What surprised him was that Luffy seemed hardly any different than before, still jumping around and causing trouble for his crewmates, who always came to his side to help him when he needed it. They were what filled in the gaps, what let him pull through with anything. Perhaps that's why Luffy had managed to mentally recover from the loss of Portgas D. Ace…for which Law envied him. He had never gotten such support, because everyone who could offer it had died.

With their help he finally succeeded in his mission for Punk Hazard, if a little off track because of Luffy's own stubbornness dealing with Caesar Clown. Still, the results were the same and that's all he cared about. He was, however, annoyed when instead of leaving first chance they got, the straw Hats decided to party for their success along with the annoying G5 Marines and the giant children rescued from the labs, the ones he'd had to cure lest the maternal Nami and caring Chopper attempt to strangle him for being heartless. Highly doubting they would listen to him and move on, Law let them be and just sat quietly off to the side, barely registering his conversation with Smoker as he watched Luffy run about and laugh with his nakama, as if they weren't going to have a very dangerous, very angry Shichibukai after their heads once the news of Caesar's capture reached him.

"So, you're just going to use the Straw Hats and kill them, like you've done with other allies?" Smoker growled at some point in their 'conversation'.

Law didn't answer for a moment, spotting Luffy as he did some strange dance with Usopp and Chopper, the children giggling happily and wanting to join in. The big grin never left his face as he sang, rather badly, Bink's Sake with his nakama and just simply enjoyed himself for the brief moment they had. The surgeon recalled that moment when they escaped Caesar's cage, Luffy jumping out the moment he wasn't paying attention and doing whatever he liked. Law had been quite upset with him for, because if he got spotted the plan would be completely messed up, but when Luffy looked back up at him and waved with that same smile on his face…the surgeon couldn't bring himself to be frustrated with him.

"Who knows?" He finally answered, standing from his seat; it was time they got out of here, the groups separating and the children getting onto the Marine ship to be taken home "Maybe they're using me."

He wasn't sure why he said it, but since becoming allies with the Straw Hats Law felt like he wasn't in control anymore. They were his plans, sure, but Luffy seemed to be leading the charge instead of him, and he changed it whenever he wanted if he didn't like the part he had to play. Annoying, but somehow it got the job done, so Law let it be and just let it happen. Probably the smartest decision at this point, seeing as even Luffy's own nakama couldn't calm him down…not that they were really trying.

He was more okay with Luffy being in charge than he thought.

~~XOXOXOXOXOX~~

The group was now headed to Dressrosa with the gas man chained up on board looking a little worse for wear after a fight with Straw Hat. Law couldn't help but gloat a bit, irritating Caesar with his smug expression after making the demands to Doflamingo about either resigning from the Shichibukai to get Caesar back and making SMILES for Kaido, or letting the scientist die and facing the Pirate Emperor's wrath.

The surgeon claimed a spot on the deck of the Sunny to avoid the other pirates, not wanting to be drawn into the chaos that ensued every hour of the day in their travels to Dressrosa. It let him keep an eye on Caesar, but he found it also let him watch Luffy as the man ran around his ship to various nakama of his, depending on what he felt like doing. If it was something exciting, that trademark grin split his face and he gave a loud laugh, which Law found kind of…cute. Not in an attractive way cute, Hell no, but like a small child when he gets a new present cute. Luffy was NOT interesting to him, he was the Surgeon of Death, a cold-hearted pirate, a rival, he did NOT like Luffy.

"Oi, Torao!" Think of the Devil and he appears, Law mentally grumbled to himself as Luffy plopped down next to him. "What are you doing all day by yourself? You hardly even eat. Are you sick?"

"No, I'm not sick." Law replied gruffly, not interested in speaking to the other Captain right now with his earlier thoughts still swimming through his mind. "Someone has to keep an eye on Caesar since none of you seem to be."

"He's not going anywhere!" Luffy laughed, as if such a thing was obvious. "Come on, Torao, you'll get all stiff like Zoro if you don't do something."

"And what, pray tell, should I do?" The doctor asked with a heavy sigh, understanding he wasn't going to get rid of the other Captain anytime soon.

"Um…" A frown crossed Luffy's face as he took a moment to think about it. He wasn't quite sure what Law would like to do. He was a surgeon, but Chopper was kind of scared of him, so Luffy didn't think it was a good idea to try and have them buddy up. Beside, Luffy wanted the man to do something with HIM, not the others…Law just didn't seem like someone who had much fun and he wanted to be the one to fix that.

Well there was a depressing thought.

"If that's all then leave me alone." Law grumbled, turning his head away and crossing his arms.

A pout found its way on Luffy's face as the other turned away.

"But Torao, you keep watching me like you want to join in." The rubber man mentioned. He paused for a moment when he saw the surgeon suddenly stiffen like he'd been slapped and turning back to Luffy with wide eyes. "You're bored, right?"

'_Not exactly…shit, he actually saw me?_' Trafalgar thought nervously.

"I'm just wondering how you can be so casual about going to sabotage the island of a Shichibukai." Law said, relaxing his posture back to normal to hopefully salvage his dignity. He'd been caught staring…just great, had the others noticed? Did they think he was going to assassinate their Captain or something? Is that why they kept glancing at him discreetly, too quick for him to see what their stare was for.

"Shishishi, wouldn't be the first time." Luffy snickered. "We took down Crocodile in Alabasta, too."

"…Right, that WAS you." Law sighed. "Doflamingo is on an entirely different level, though, he's been a Shichibukai much longer than Crocodile."

"And? We're not fighting him, right? We're going after Kaido!" Again he saw Law stiffen and wondered if something was wrong.

The surgeon had realized he'd almost let slip his real goal. Leave Doflamingo to Kaido? Probably the smarter option, but he had a score to settle with that pink-feathered bastard and he'd be damned if he let the chance slip by. Still, the Straw Hats had to believe the plan was Kaido's head.

"Torao, are you okay?" Luffy leaned forward so as to look closer at the taller man.

Realizing this, Law felt an uncomfortable stir in his gut and quickly pushed the other Captain away.

"I'm fine; I just don't like people in my face." He growled, which was true. He never had been one for touching, always uncomfortable if someone tried to so much as pat his back let alone hugging.

Wait, why was he thinking Luffy was going to hug him?

Really starting to get irritated now at the way his thought train was going, Law pushed the other Captain further away to hopefully dispel these weird thoughts.

Luffy fell to the ground, pouting up at Law like a beaten puppy. Hidden behind the feathery collar of his shirt, Law bit his lip and quickly turned away at the sight.

"Torao, you're acting weird." The rubber man whined, scooching closer on the ground and poking at the other Captain's thigh.

The touch sent a shock through Law, who stood rapidly, a startled Luffy stumbling back at the sudden movement.

"I said I'm fine." Law growled out, walking away quickly.

It was way too dangerous to be around Straw Hat right now.

~~XOXOXOXOXOX~~

Fortunately, Luffy had enough brains to leave Law alone for the rest of the day, giving the surgeon time to calm his heart. It still baffled him that he would react that way to this crazy man, who would probably end up starting a war on Dressrosa if his record on other islands held true. Luffy was dangerous in more ways than one, and Law just couldn't risk that right now. He had to stay focused.

But the next day, Luffy was back again, trying to get him up and doing something with the others.

"Hey, Torao, how about you go fishing with me, Usopp and Brook? We were gonna go out on the Mini Merry, it'll be fun!" This the Captain said while sitting on Law's lap of all things. The surgeon had seen him do it to his other nakama, especially when he REALLY wanted something and wanted to make sure they were listening to him, so it wasn't all that strange a sight, but it made him VERY uncomfortable due to the distance, or lack of, between them.

"Usopp, Brook and I." Law corrected to distract himself from the fact that another guy was sitting on him and making his heart beat rapidly.

"Oh who cares, Robin keeps doing that too." Luffy pouted at the grammar correction and dammit if Law didn't find that adorable. "Do you wanna go? Do you?"

"No. Now get off."

But he didn't.

"Come on, Torao, Sanji said you were watching us fish yesterday and he thought you might wanna go with us."

Law scowled, realizing he was failing at being subtle with these Straw Hats. How many of them knew? All of them but Luffy? No, even he'd noticed, just didn't understand. The surgeon turned just enough to see the black suited cook. Once their eyes met, Sanji gave a knowing smirk at Law and winked – well Law assumed he winked based off his expression, considering he couldn't see the other eye. Law's heart fell; they all totally knew that he seemed to have some kind of attraction to their Captain.

And they seemed willing to utterly torture him about it by giving Luffy ideas to bother him.

"I was just curious to see if you'd catch anything with how loud you are." Law turned back to the man on his lap with a scowl.

"I catch bigger fish than Usopp." Luffy argued with a stubborn expression.

"Really." It wasn't so much a question as a bored, somewhat sarcastic statement.

"Yeah, I'll show you!" Straw Hat hopped off his lap only to grab the other man's tattooed arm and pull him to the hatch on the deck down to where the Mini Merry was.

'_I had to open my mouth._' Law scowled, realizing he'd set himself up by challenging Luffy's claim. "Straw Hat-ya, I'm not going!"

"Eh, but Torao, it'd be fun." It was Usopp who said this, his head poking out of the hatch. He was smirking similarly to Sanji and Law wanted to slice him apart for butting in. "Brook's not going, apparently, so we need one more person."

The surgeon looked over at where the skeleton was with a fierce glare. The whole damn crew had probably planned this out, only further proved by how the musician gave a sly laugh and waved innocently at Law.

"Why?" Law growled at Usopp when he turned his attention back to them, his arm still in Luffy's unyielding grip.

"One to drive and two to fish." Usopp's smirk widened, feeling confident only because Luffy wasn't about to release Law, as that would have the surgeon coming after him. "It's how we always do it. Brook's not up to it, Nami's taking a shower, Robin never goes with us anyway, Chopper's working on new medicine, Sanji is getting ready to cook whatever we catch, and Franky is too big to fit on Mini Merry now."

"You forget Zoro-ya."

"He falls asleep while fishing, we've lost three poles that way." The sniper rolled his eyes. "So yeah, just you left. Plus, you've looked bored since you got on; we thought you might like having something to do."

"No, I don't, I was just fine how I was." Law tried to tug his arm out of Luffy's grip.

"Good luck!" Sanji came over, patting Law on the back hard enough to push him over to the hatch.

The suddenness of it made Law stumble, and it was only Luffy's grip that kept him standing, to his utter embarrassment, especially when the rubber man tugged on his arm as he stumbled to keep him upright and as a result brought them closer together. He could only stare at Luffy with wide eyes for a moment, before Luffy just grinned, hardly noticing anything odd about their situation or the light pink now running across Law's face, and continued his earlier action of dragging the surgeon below to the mini boat.

'_I'm going to kill every one of you._' Law mentally snarled back at Sanji.

He saw the knowing smirk on the cook's face before he was under the deck with just Luffy and Usopp. Everyone was conspiring against him, putting him in a foul mood.

"Hey, Torao…" The quiet voice coming from Luffy made Law blink in confusion, wondering who could sound so timid before realizing it was indeed Straw Hat speaking to him. The other man had a more serious expression as he looked at Law, frowning slightly. "Did I upset you?"

The question was as startling as the timid voice, leaving Law speechless for a moment.

"N-no." The surgeon cursed himself for stuttering, but he was unsure about Luffy's new attitude. "It's just…I don't like being told what to do."

"Oh, if that's all." Luffy grinned again and Law caught his breath. "Wanna go fishing, Torao?"

The surgeon just stared at him, baffled.

"…Sure."

Cheering, Straw Hat hopped onto the waiting Mini Merry, which Usopp was already on with the equipment. Sighing, Law followed. Maybe it wouldn't be completely terrible.

~~XOXOXOXOXOX~~

The good thing, they'd won, the bad, he'd never be able to continue being a pirate. With his right arm gone, he was done for as both a doctor and a swordsman. He was too tired to activate his Room to try and save his arm, and by the time he could, it would be too late, the nerves too far damaged and the tissue already too healed over for any attempts at reattaching the severed limb.

He was glad he got to witness Doflamingo's downfall with his own eyes, but he still wished he had died in the battle. Well, considering how much blood he was losing, that might still be an option. He'd gotten his revenge for Cora-san, he'd never planned on making it out of Dressrosa, so it might be best to just…let go.

"Law!"

Law turned tiredly to the voice calling out to him, spotting Luffy as the beaten and bloody Captain raced to his side.

"Ah, Law, your arm!" Luffy knelt down beside him, gingerly touching the shoulder of the severed limb. In his tired and blood-deprived state, Law only barely registered that Luffy was calling him by his first name. "You can fix it, right? With your powers?"

The surgeon shook his head.

"It's not useable anymore…"

Straw Hat looked devastated by this news, as if it was his own arm he'd lost. The last time Law had seen such a broken look was when the boy had lost his brother, and while flattered Luffy would consider him that highly in his circle of nakama, he wished it wasn't there.

It made goodbye that much harder.

"Straw….no, Luffy-ya…I'm dying." Since Luffy was calling him by his first name, he figured he'd return the favor.

"No!" Luffy shouted in fury, startling the surgeon. "I won't let you! There are other doctors here, they'll fix you up! You'll be fine!"

"Luffy…"

"We beat Mingo, you can't die!" Luffy grabbed the man's shoulder and shook him a bit, stopping when Law winced in pain. "I can't lose any more nakama!"

"Straw Hat, we're rivals!" Law spat. "This alliance was only to last until Kaido's defeat, but I wasn't planning on going that far!"

"…Huh?" Luffy's anger gave way to a hurt expression.

"I was going to stop Doflamingo until your crew destroyed the factory, even if I died. I was going to make sure Doflamingo died, even if it meant I went down with him. I was never planning to make it off Dressrosa!"

"Baka Law!" Frustrated, the rubber man punched Law in the face, hard. "I don't care if we're rivals, so was Ace! So was Crocodile! My Grandpa is too! And don't you dare say you planned on dying here! You had us here to help! We all made it! You're going to get better!"

"And do what, Luffy-ya, I can't fight with one arm!"

"Shanks can!" Luffy pointed out victoriously.

At that Law didn't have a reply.

"Why do you want to die, Law?" Luffy lowered his voice a bit this time.

"I…don't…" Came the quiet reply, sighing heavily. "I was just prepared too…"

"Don't give up before you're defeated, Baka." And then that trademark grin came into place. "Even if you can't fix your arm, at least you're alive, right?"

Law just stared at him, transfixed by that bright smile even when the smaller man grabbed his remaining arm and put it over his shoulders to be his support as they walked away from what had been the battlefield. Perhaps it was the exhaustion from the lack of adrenaline now that the battle was over, perhaps it was because of the blood loss, but Luffy seemed…brighter than before, his smile making Law feel relaxed, satisfied. He felt like Luffy was the sun, and he was a small flower simply following his radiance, trying to take in as much as possible before darkness engulfed him. That smile was everything, the way Luffy bounced back from a battle with utter confidence inspiring the man who'd had nothing but misery all his life.

This time, he gave in to the feeling, lowering his head down onto Luffy's shoulder as he let the younger Captain lead the way.

"Shishishi, I'll take care of you, Law, don't worry." Luffy assured him softly, the arm he had around Law wrapping a little tighter, protectively holding on.

"Yeah…okay." And for the first time in a very long time, Law smiled.

* * *

><p><em><strong>This is the second of my first two guyXguy attempts, so again hopefully I did okay, sorry for the angst at the end. Enjoy!<strong>_


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